The invention relates to a filter for fuels and/or lubricants of an internal combustion engine.
German published Patent Application No. DE 3,429,634 discloses a filter for fuels and/or lubricants. The disclosed filter consists of a housing containing a filter cartridge, which is closed by a cover. The filter cartridge is bonded at one end to the cover and at the other to the base of the housing by a layer of adhesive. Such filters must be removed after certain time intervals and replaced with a new filter.
The disposal of such filters, which are also termed replaceable filters, especially for the filtration of oil in a motor vehicle, presents increasing difficulties.
Such a filter consists of components of different materials, such as a sheet metal case, a steel cover, pleated filter paper and various plastic parts. Furthermore, after use the filter still contains a residue of oil which cannot be removed from the filter. Since the recovery of wastes has priority over conventional waste disposal, if recovery is technically practicable and the substances obtained are reusable, there is a need to take such complete filters apart and dispose of the components separately. This procedure, however, is quite complicated; furthermore, considerable amounts of recycling material are produced.
The invention addresses the problem of creating a filter in which the disadvantages described will be avoided, and which has good characteristics for recycling.